Oxford virus  vaccine production in Belgium

The “active substance” of the eventual coronavirus vaccine developed by  Oxford University and announced by the pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca will be produced in Belgium, according to a statement released Monday.

“Novasep, a French company and European leader in the production of viral vectors, announces that it has signed an agreement with the biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in view of the production for Europe of a vaccine from the University of Oxford,” Novasep said in the release.

“The production will take place at the Belgian Novasep plant in Seneffe” (center), explains the company, which will be able “to lean on the local biopharmaceutical ecosystem to quickly mobilize the necessary additional human resources.”

AstraZeneca announced on Saturday that it has signed an agreement with Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands to guarantee the  upply to the EU of at least 300 million doses of an eventual coronavirus vaccine, which it is developing together with the University of Oxford.

The agreement foresees the provision of the antigen to all the EU  member countries, as well as to other European countries, once it is ready, which could occur at the end of the year, sources from the German government told AFP.